Year end comments 2009

At the end of every year, I like to go back through my journals and see what happened that year and beyond, and make sure that I am on track with my original goals. I write nearly everyday, but only a few selections ever make it out onto this blog or in print somewhere. What I love to see over the last few years in these journals, is how this entire idea grew. I was reading something I wrote while I lived in Onekama, that really hit me. I was writing about the incredible lonely feeling I had while working on that house and fighting the township to keep the wind generator that they told us was in violation of their ordinance. How does someone find the courage, energy, and will to survive something like that? I had a smaller support group then, and I will never forget how the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association stepped up and made sure I was equipped with the right knowledge to fight this problem.

Imagine a time where you are trying to discover yourself, a time, when your spirit is crying to be free. A time that would forever define the person you want to be and will ultimately become. As I lived in that unheated 'white shack' over that Winter, I had to tell myself over and over again to "not quit". I knew that building the Onekama house would lead to great things, not just for me, but for the entire industry. The morning I left for Onekama, I said to my wife at the time, "Well, I have to go to Onekama now to seal my fate." As I left everything I knew and loved behind, I embarked on an epic journey, a journey filled with joy, accomplishment, loss, and pain. Onekama helped me become the person I am today, I had to become a man, almost overnight. I will remember the great times we had up there forever, and that is one of the great gifts that I got to pick up on my journey.

As I mentioned in an earlier post here, I have had to do some serious soul searching lately. It seems that my original idea of building the most cutting edge houses on the planet and helping people to live a sustainable life had derailed somehow. I was spending as much time dealing with bad things as I was dealing with good things. I was never alone over most of the last year, it seemed that every time I came home for my 24 hours rest, someone was standing in my driveway with their hand out, or telling me how I should run my business. This started to get old. I was no longer existing to build the most cutting edge houses for research and amazing homeowners, I was existing to keep a huge work force working so they could get paid every week. I felt so important to be what everyone was calling me, "amazing", that my vision was clouded. Then, one day it happened.

Not long ago, a person saw me drive by as I tried to get home undetected. This person runs a business that I used and he and I had had differences over their taking care of customers and issues that come up along the way. He is the kind of person that sees only fault in others and not in himself. As I stepped out of my truck that day, in my driveway, I heard the familiar sound of a vehicle pulling in behind me. He got out and took 2.5 hours of my time, of my 20 hours at home, to tell me everything that was wrong with me. He told me that what I was doing was not worth it. I have written about this confrontation, but I have to bring it back up for a moment. See, I was digging so deep around that time to find the reason why I was doing what I was doing. He came into my yard and was about as rude as anyone could be, and I just listened and figured out my new direction while he flapped his gums. I must admit, he crossed the line a few times, and I advanced on him at one point, that is when I knew he was not a man at all, he was just another vulture. Its interesting to see someone like that, a money hungry jerk. I never touched him, just puffed out my feathers and read him the riot act about talking like that in my driveway. I went on and on, to the point that the neighbors brought their kids inside. I grew that day, and learned, finally, why I was doing what I was doing.

Team Hybrid is a great idea, there are some great companies and people involved with it. However, there is a problem with it that I see, that I am having a hard time with. I have had people tell me that I am 'messing up the team'. They normally say this to get me to do something. This makes me laugh, because, I started this Team with the guys in Onekama who worked with me and lived with me for months there. The idea of growing Team Hybrid was concocted with the help of Steve's homemade wine and trips to the Cabbage Shed in Frankfort. I am happy with how things have turned out with Team Hybrid, but I wish now, that I would have spent all that money marketing Hybrid Homes, instead of Team Hybrid. I did that, because I wanted to let people know that the only way to consistently achieve incredible feats, is to form a team and do it as a group. Over the last year, I removed several people and companies from Team Hybrid. Companies and people who did not live up to the expectations of me, the coach, the environment, and most importantly, the homeowners. I am happy with that decision.

As things calm down, I am happy to be refocused. Last year at this time, I was managing 7 projects. It was also a lonely time. As long as there was money to be made, I had lots of friends. When there would be hiccups in the financing from banks, I was an outcast. It was difficult, because the company was not equipped to handle that much work. I am still digging us out of that.

The current projects that we have going on have helped to change my mind back to where it was when I started. I don't feel alone anymore, knowing that so many people out there are excited about what I am leading. I have had a chance to stop and smell the roses now, instead of just passing them by at 80 mph. Both Delton and the Earth Shelter Project up North, has helped me to realize what my true love is and why I started this business in the first place. I am excited for 2010, it will be a year of re-building for me and Hybrid Homes. I will look to continue to thin the herd of dead weight. In this economy, there are so many great qualified people and companies that are willing to help me reached my goals, that now is the time to act.

I know I have said it before, but, thank you all for your support. I hope the videos show you a piece of my life that I love. Have a great Holiday Season, and happy New Year!

We are in Green Builder Magazine!

Check out the following link to read the article about us in Green Builder Magazine.

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/277aa969#/277aa969/30

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this a happy time of year for me. It is amazing that the warm wishes have come from all over the country, including: Washington State, Chicago, Hawaii, Oregon, Colorado, North Carolina, and the list goes on. The videos are reaching a large number of people, most of whom have amazing things to say about the journey I am on.

I wish you all a safe Holiday Season. Enjoy it with your families if you can, and keep your eyes peeled to Vimeo.com for the next episode of the Earth Shelter Project!

My clearing mind - State of the State of Hybrid Homes

The last few years have been a blur. I have learned many valuable lessons and have worked to improve the efficiency of every house that I built during that time. The two bigger houses that I built got rave reviews! Imagine an executive style house that is about 4,500 sq feet total that heats to 73 degrees from the sun. A house that is so evenly heated, that the homeowners are amazed. Their old house was very drafty and cold, and they had to give their sweaters away, because the house we built is toasty and they do not need them any more. And, that is when the geo thermal heat is not running. Absolutely amazing, I could not be prouder.

The last year brought about much heart ache also. We had sub contractors that cost us a ton of money, money that came directly out of my pocket. We saw members or our Team get dropped off the Team. We had the Team shook to the very core in such a way, that I questioned why the members were saying they were part of the Team. There was a ton of joy and a ton of heartache during this past year, but still I push this ship forward into uncharted seas!

I am in Northern Michigan now. One of my goals when I knew I was coming up here, was to try to clear my mind. I have been pushed so hard by all the Team Members to keep work piling in and that is incredibly tough to do and breeds incredible pressure. I was told to keep booking work by some and it changed my focus. I was focused more on keeping people busy, then I was doing what I set out to do in the first place. We built some great houses over the last year, but it cost a lot of money. I am happy to say, I made a few tough decisions about 6 monthes ago that ultimately saved this company. I chose to limit the amount of work we would do. But, my mind was still clouded because of a number of stressors 'down state'.

Along came this Earth Shelter Project. This is the largerst Earth Shelter Project ever! I mentioned clearing my mind, how can this be taking on a project like this, another Earth Shaking industry changing project? One of the things that I need to mention, is that I am staying at a school that teaches natural health and massage. I am spending my non-working time with counselors and others who are helping me discover what my core beliefs are and to shape the future of myself and Hybrid Homes. For me to get out of bed every day, I need to feel purpose and also I need a challenge. This Earth Shelter Project is all that and more. I feel more alive at this point of my life than I have ever felt before. I am leading a group of workers from the immediate area, workers who I never met before. They have welcomed me into their homes and have befriended me, as I moved up here with no friends in town.

My mind is clearing and I am excited for Hybrid Homes. So excited, that I am working with a few people to create a way for Hybrid Homes to continue into the future and continue to be the driving force in this state in sustainable building. I will write more about this when I can, but I am happy to be moving the company forward, with some help....

For me, I am torn like an old sweater! This Earth Shelter Project is only in its 3rd week, and it has changed me already and helped me clear my mind. I have friends up here that I just met, who I already know will be my friends for years to come, long after this project is over. My passion lies in projects that push the envelope and connect me with the homeowners and their communities. I have sat in many kitchens and living rooms all over the country this past year and shared food and conversation with many, many people, and I love that. I am having a tough time seeing past this project, because of what it stands for and the experiences that we have had so far. I walked into the school tonight to go to my room, and there was a cooking class in the kitchen. I was last to come in, and I heard "Look, its Uncle Rog!". That made me smile! We have a huge fan base here in Northern Michigan and we can thank our videos for that. I could not get through the group without shaking hands, then I was asked to talk to them, so I did. I told the group of my journey so far and what my hope was for my future. The videos are reaching many, many people, and they are recieving the message that I was hoping to put out there. My goal was to reach the masses in 2009 with my message, and with an average of 2,000 viewers every week of our videos, I would say I reached that goal. I am working with TV people now, and you will most likely see our videos on your tv (if you have one) in 2010!

My passion for a sustainable lifestyle and sustainable building has grown incredibly over the last year, even through all the joys and heart breaks of this business. The economy has not effected our growth, just being connected with the wrong people has. I want Hybrid Homes to grow more, but, that will happen through a new strategic plan for 2010. My personal direction will be to build only specific projects, for people who truly wish to lead a sustainable life. Hybrid Homes will take on the majority of the projects, and I will lead projects like this Earth Shelter Project and others that will be off the grid. Does that mean that I intend on having someone else run Hybrid Homes, I am not sure at this point, but we are actively seeking someone to fill my role as leader of Hybrid Homes, so that I can focus on building my building science knowledge. I want to focus on my calling in life, start speaking, writing books, filming for tv, adn so much more. I will be around, and chances are, these changes won't take effect for some time to come, but, I know what my heart is telling me to do. That is, to build sustainable houses for sustainable people. I will have a list of criteria for the houses I choose to build, and the people I build for. At some point, I would like to build only off the grid houses. As the market builds for that, I will strive to lead Hybrid Homes into the future by building the most sustainable homes that a budget will allow. Once we get ourselves into the right positions, then there will be a noticable change to Hybrid Homes, which will be capable at that point of producing many homes per year, on time and on budget.

Stay tuned for blogs about the future of Hybrid Homes. For now, thank you for your support and here's to doing things in life that make a difference!

Earth Shelter Week 1

Click the following link to see the project that has everyone talking around the country, The Earth Shelter Project, week 1!!

http://www.vimeo.com/7960370